Vintage Bagpipe Archive

David Glen, Circa 1895, Ebony & Cocuswood, Nickel, Ivory Caps

SOLD – David Glen worked in the pipemaking business with his father Alexander beginning in his teens. Alexander was the brother of Thomas MacBean Glen, whose mid-19th-century pipemaking firm would eventually become J&R Glen.  Alexander’s shop became David Glen in 1873 when Alex died and David took over at the age of 23. Those were the two Glen firms operating in Edinburgh in the latter part of the century.

David’s firm would produce a remarkable body of work before his death in 1916. David Glen would also become the most prolific publisher of pipe music in the history of the instrument.

This is is a typical low-end David Glen offering:  button mounts, nickel ferrules and stylized ivory caps in a mix of cocuswood and ebony.  The set was in excellent shape on acquisition. A short crack in the bass mid-joint needed invisible whipping.  There are a couple of small dings in the wood, but nothing obvious. The finish is excellent.

David Glen’s pipes play with a rich, steady, relatively quiet sound.  The are a great piobaireachd pipe and great for anyone not wishing an overpowering drone sound.

David Glen, Circa 1890, Ebony/Cocuswood, Ivory, German Silver

SOLD – I love the look of this set. It was likely made in the years around 1890 or a bit earlier, and it looks it.  The ivory is in great shape, and the metal mounts are classic German silver with almost a chrome-like appearance.

The wood is a mix of ebony and cocuswood. These are two great musical woods, and mixing them was quite common in the day.

The tuning chambers are lined with brass, another period trait, lending more credence to the idea that makers other than MacDougall used them.

Typical of ebony, there were a couple of cracks. The blowstick stock and the bass mid-joint have both been invisible whipped their entire length. Those pieces will not crack again.

Any doubt that these were other than David Glen were dispelled when I played them. It’s an extremely rich and steady drone sound, but slightly quieter than most sets of pipes. This is typical David.

Not sure I’ve had a set of pipes on the site that looked more like an ‘antique’ than this set.

Lawries, Circa WWI, Ebony, Nickel, Modern Imitation Ivory Caps

SOLD – This set is thought to date to just before 1912, before Lawrie adopted their trademark tapered ferrules. The set is ebony, the ferrules nickel, and the caps are just about the best imitation ivory you’ll ever see.  The set is ivory-free. Projecting mounts are ebony.

Being ebony, the pipes came with repaired cracks in two stocks: invisible whipping on the blowstick stock, and not-so-invisible whipping on one tenor stock. The wood overall in this set is lovely.

The tone of this set blew me away:  big and bold as you’ll hear, but steady and with lots of chanter blend.

Henderson, Lawrie, Robertson Frankenpipe, Blackwood, Cocus, Ivory, Engraved Nickel

SOLD – “Frankenpipe” is a term we use to describe a bagpipe that has been cobbled together from spare parts. It can be derogatory. This frankenpipe is an unusual example.

It came from the estate of the late Bill Burnett, founder of Burnett’s & Struth Scottish Regalia in Barrie, Ontario, and this means something. Bill dealt in pipes and vintage pipes and he knew pipes well.  (I purchased from Bill the 1912 silver and ivory Hendersons I played through the 1990s.) Bill did not cobble together any old spare parts here. These were from premier makers.  Here is the ‘item list’ as far as I can determine:

Bass: Robertson, except for mid-joint, which appears to be an old Lawrie
Tenor 1: Lawrie
Tenor 2: Henderson
Stocks: Robertson, except chanter stock which is Lawrie or Henderson
Blowstick: Robertson

The Robertson bass top appears to be cocuswood or Brazilwood and has a rare “J. Robertson Edinburgh” stamp on two lines. One tenor top has a distinctive cocuswood appearance as well.

The appearance and profiles of the pieces suggest most, if not all, were made in the years around 1930.

As you might expect (or might not!) the set played beautifully. It locked into tune with a bold harmonious blend and filled the room nicely.

This is not your standard frankenpipe.

Henderson, Circa 1910, Ebony, Modern Silver

SOLD – This Henderson set is ebony and probably dates to around 1910. The caps are ivory, and the ferrules are thistle-engraved silver that was added to the set sometime in the last 20 years.  Sapwood shows in several places.

The pipes are in fantastic shape, and this was one of the rare occasions that I’ve acquired an ebony pipe that didn’t require repair work. While one can’t be sure, the ivory match from the old ivory-soled chanter to the drone caps suggest the chanter may be original to the bagpipe. The pipes also come with a pristine Kron blackwood chanter with a silver sole matching the drone ferrules. Neither chanter has been carved. The Henderson chanter would not play well with today’s reeds, but it’s nice to have the complete bagpipe.

The set played brilliantly — full and steady, with a refined richness typical of ebony.

Henderson, Circa WWI, Full Ivory

SOLD – This set came to me as an old Lawrie, but clearly had ‘P Henderson Ltd.’ stamped in each cord guide. The pipes were stripped and refinished. No cracks were found during this process. There are a couple of tiny dings on the rings, fairly normal for a pipe of this age. The wide projecting mounts suggest a manufacture date somewhere around the Great War. The blowstick may not be original.

This Henderson set played wonderfully with my Canning reeds. Robust, great harmonics, and steady as a rock. Play these on any stage at any level.

Lawries, Circa 1930, Nickel and Ivory

SOLD – This is a classic late 1920s-1930 Lawrie set distinguished by large beads on the ivory projecting mounts.

The set was in very good condition, and a complete strip revealed no cracks. The set was refinished, and fissures in the ivory bass ring and the blowstick projecting mount were filled and stabilized. The blowpipe stock is a poly replica with the original mount. The tapered nickel mounts are in mint condition.

The set played with a rich, steady sound that locked nicely. The tenors tune a touch low.

Center, Circa 1900, Blackwood, Ivory, Nickel

SOLD – This set came to me as a John Center set. The styling and workmanship are superb; this pipe was made by an experienced maker.

A crack in the bass top has been invisibly whipped. The set came with no blowstick stock, so a replica was made and a matching ferrule found. The blowstick has also been invisible whipped to seal a crack.

The pipes displayed a very ‘mellow’ tone — rich, subdued, much in the Edinburgh tradition. They locked nicely and maintained a gentle but resonant sound with my Canning drone reeds. There is lots of character here and an elegant looking instrument with refined tone.

Kron, Heritage Bores, Silver and Aged Imitation Ivory

SOLD – This set was made by Dave Atherton at C. E. Kron in 2003. The bores are Kron’s ‘Heritage,’ copied from a 1912 silver and ivory Henderson. The profiles are not Heritage, and seem to more closely resemble the Kron standard set.  The pipes are unique in one way:  the previous owner sent them the the David Naill company in England to have their aged imitation ivory mounts replace the originals.  The effect is quite stunning.

The pipes were in immaculate shape when I received them. They come with a Kron blackwood pipe chanter.

I played the pipes for about 30 minutes with my Canning reeds and they locked in very steadily with a full, bright tone.

Lawries, Silver and Ivory, Hallmarked 1951-52

SOLD – This set of Lawries arrived in excellent condition. It needed no work, and still has its original finish as well as the original chanter sole.  The silver is hallmarked RGL 1951-52. Though the pipes made by the Lawrie company tailed off in quality in the late 1950s and 1960s, pipes made by the firm right up to the mid-1950s are revered for their tone and steadiness.

As I played two piobaireachds on this set it displayed the robust, seamless tone I’ve come to expect from a vintage Lawrie.

Sinclair, Silver and Ivory, 1942, Hallmarked 1946-47

SOLD – This gorgeous Sinclair set had only one owner, and that was Keith MacDonald, “The Church Piper” and publisher of “Heavenly Harmonies.” Keith passed away earlier this year.

Each plain silver piece is hallmarked 1946-47, and the ivory is in immaculate condition. Keith clearly took care of his pipes, and some buyer will benefit from that! The pipes were originally purchased through McHardy’s in Vancouver back in the day.  Keith’s notes on the pipe say he bought it in 1942. It’s possible that he had the silver added in the year it was hallmarked.

The set had no cracks and required only a clean and polish on the lathe. Sinclair drones are full and bright and this set reminded me of the Sinclairs I played to win the Gold Medal at Inverness in 1985. Great blend and steadiness.

Lawries, Silver and Ivory, Hallmarked 1952-53

SOLD – This Lawrie set came to me in excellent condition, needing only some of its stylish tapered ferrules reaffixed. The silver is hallmarked 1952-53. Though the pipes made by the Lawrie company tailed off in quality in the late 1950s and 1960s, pipes made by the company right up to the mid-1950s are revered for their tone and steadiness.

The pipes still have their original finish. The blowpipe stock is a poly-lined, blackwood replica with the original mount. The mouthpiece sleeve is non-hallmarked silver in the same pattern.

The set displayed the robust, steady tone Lawries are known for and locked in seamlessly from the first tuning.